INNIM111=1111 ■ 01111 • TORAH PORTION THE BAND EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT!! TRENDS and THAT'S MY BOY APPLEGATE SQUARE Northwestern Hwy. & Inkster Boys' & Young Men's Clothing Tasting The Flavors Of Mysterious Mitzvot RABBI MORTON F. YOLKUT Special to The Jewish News an we ever know the reasons for the "mitzvot" required of us by the Torah? Various schools of Jewish philosophy have differed on the answer to this question. Some fun- damentalists have denied that there are reasons for our observances. A rationalist like Maimonides in his "Guide To The Perplexed" strongly affirms the doctrine of "ta'amei hamitzvot," the importance of discovering the rationale for our religious practices. Yet all agree that the law of "parah adumah," the red heifer recorded in this week's C Shabbat Chukat: Numbers 19:1-22:1, Judges 11:1-33 sidrah, must remain a mystery to us, for here God has chosen to conceal rather than reveal. This commandment is one of the most enigmatic found anywhere in scripture: A per- son who has become ritually unclean through contact with a dead body was to be purified by the ashes of a red heifer. Here is the mystery: The person who was ritually unclean, as a result of this ritual becomes clean. But the priest who was involved with the preparation of this for- mula and was clean, now becomes unclean. The red heifer purifies the impure but paradoxically renders the pure impure. This mysterious law is an example par excellance of a "chok," a statute given without explanation. And our rabbis teach: " `Chukah hi, qezerah hi; this ritual is a decree of God and we humans are not able to penetrate its essence." There are actually very few "chukim" in the Torah (the prohibition of pork is another example) but they serve an important purpose. They re- mind us of the limits of the mind and the perimeters of intelligence. In the Torah, as in life, we will never find meaningful answers to all of our questions. By remaining puzzled and mystified, we learn to curb om. presump- Morton F Yolkut is rabbi of Congregation B'nai ravid. tuousness and submit to the greater intelligence of a higher authority. This does not mean we ought to abandon our search for the meaning of our obser- vances. But we must remember that the reasons we ascribe to our "mitzvot" are only tenative after- thoughts. Our primary motive in practicing Judaism is the command of God. That is sufficient. The reasons we attribute to the command- ments are changeable from one generation to the next, as the sophistication of our in- sights changes. The obser- vances themselves are changeless, for they issue from a changeless and eternal God. It is interesting to note that "ta'amei hamitzvot" means, literally, the tastes of the com- mandments; the translation "reasons" is derivative. When we observe God's command- ment, the observance itself and the acceptance of divine discipline is the substance. The extraneous reasons we may assign to such practices are the "ta'am" — they add flavor and spice. The essence of our spiritual diet is obedience and submis- sion to God. The taste and flavor are "Ta'amei hamitz- vot," the reasons we ascribe to our observances. That is precisely what a statute like the red heifer teaches us. There are laws of the spirit — as there are laws of nature — that will remain forever beyond the inquisitive grasp of man. "Ta'amei hamitzvot" are only the flavoring, the taste of Torah. The essence is "chukah," the inscrutable and im- ponderable will of God. mmimmi NEWS \ Always 20% Off 352-4244 casual living modes SUNSET BOULEVARD S FNBYSTEIN - 553 -9966 contemporary • furniture • lighting • wall decor • gifts • interiors Contemporary accessories for over 34 years 544.1711 22961 Woodward, Ferndale, MI THE FINEST IN HOME SECURITY Hi-Tech Sweat JCC Summer Health Club Membership July & August only! 2 months • $145/ 1 month • $100 • Totally Integrated Fitness Center • Nautilus fitness equipment ILO Defeats Resolution • Universal gym equipment • Airdyne Bikes/Biocycles Geneva (JTA) — An anti- Israel resolution sponsored by the Arab states was defeated at the International Labor Organization's annual con- ference here. The measure, voted upon last Monday, had been de- bated for a week. It accused Israel of physical violence against Palestinian workers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It also called for the establishment of a permanent ILO committee to monitor Israeli labor practices in the territories. • StairMaster 'Computerized Treadmills • Concept II Rowing Ergometer • Everflex Aerobic flooring system • Personalized instruction Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit 661-1000, ext. 265 (must be paid in full) THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 33